# Can't start webrick as the root user **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [May 23, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655 "2009-05-23T16:28:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/76d3ee/32.png) [@pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pbhandar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655/1 "2009-05-23T16:28:47Z")
Hi, I am trying to start Webrick as root user and get TCP Bind error even though the port appears to be not taken. Running the same script as a non-root user that owns the ruby installs works just fine. 1. Running dvdelta\_start.sh runs just fine as a non root user 2. Running the same script gives me TCP Bind error su - dvdelta -c “/opt/apps/datavail/current-delta/dvdelta\_start.sh start” 2\>&1 \>\>/tmp/dvdelta.log I’d appreciate any pointers to help debug this issue. Thanks. Prakash +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The log file shows the following - [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO WEBrick 1.3.1 [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO ruby 1.8.7 (2009-04-08) [x86\_64-linux] [2009-05-22 04t:46:47] WARN TCPServer Error: Address already in use - bind(2) [2009-05-22 04:46:47] INFO WEBrick::HTTPServer#start: pid=30733 port=8192 login as: root ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ class JobServer def initialize(jobRepository, port) @repos = jobRepository @port = port end def run @server = HTTPServer.new( :Port =\> @port ) @server.mount("/styles.css", CssServlet) @server.mount("/jobs", ListJobsServlet, @repos) @server.mount("/deploy", DeployJobServlet, @repos) @server.mount("/", IndexServlet) trap(“INT”){ @server.shutdown } @server.start end end / ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calling the server start… server = JobServer.new(jobRepository, 8192) server.run ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The log file shows the following - [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO WEBrick 1.3.1 [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO ruby 1.8.7 (2009-04-08) [x86\_64-linux] [2009-05-22 04:46:47] WARN TCPServer Error: Address already in use - bind(2) [2009-05-22 04:46:47] INFO WEBrick::HTTPServer#start: pid=30733 port=8192 ---
**Author:** ![pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/76d3ee/32.png) [@pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pbhandar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655/2 "2009-05-23T17:31:03Z")
On May 23, 10:28 am, Pra B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO ruby 1.8.7 (2009-04-08) [x86\_64-linux] > def initialize(jobRepository, port) > trap(“INT”){ @server.shutdown } > > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. > Did you check to make sure that your app _really_ isn’t binding to > port 8192? If it isn’t, strace and netstat will be able to isolate > that problem. More importantly, why does your app need to run as root? Running as root and connecting to the internet is the most reliable way to ensure you get compromised. If there are certain resources that _absolutely_ require root to obtain, then obtain them as early as possible (definitely before starting the WEBrick server), then setuid down to a saner user. ---
**Author:** ![pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/76d3ee/32.png) [@pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pbhandar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655/3 "2009-05-23T17:41:24Z")
pharrington wrote: > On May 23, 10:28�am, Pra B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > More importantly, why does your app need to run as root? Running as > root and connecting to the internet is the most reliable way to ensure > you get compromised. If there are certain resources that _absolutely_ > require root to obtain, then obtain them as early as possible > (definitely before starting the WEBrick server), then setuid down to a > saner user. If you are just doing some development work on a non-server box you would have to be insane to believe this is a security risk. I usually program as root, it is much more convenient. I’ve never run WEBrick as anything _but_ root. It’s not clear from the OP whether it works as some other user altho that seems to be implied. ---
**Author:** ![pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/76d3ee/32.png) [@pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pbhandar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655/4 "2009-05-23T18:42:44Z")
Pra B. wrote: > The log file shows the following - > > [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO WEBrick 1.3.1 > [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO ruby 1.8.7 (2009-04-08) [x86\_64-linux] > [2009-05-22 04t:46:47] WARN TCPServer Error: Address already in use - > bind(2) > [2009-05-22 04:46:47] INFO WEBrick::HTTPServer#start: pid=30733 > port=8192 This is a WEBrick bug (which I reported separately a long time ago). It has successfully bound to port 8192, as the final line confirms. The bind error log message is spurious. ---
**Author:** ![pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/76d3ee/32.png) [@pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pbhandar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655/5 "2009-05-23T18:11:00Z")
On May 23, 11:41 am, Mk 27 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > would have to be insane to believe this is a security risk. I usually > program as root, it is much more convenient. I’ve never run WEBrick as > anything _but_ root. > > ## It’s not clear from the OP whether it works as some other user altho that seems to be implied. > > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. If the WEBrick server is only listening on localhost than yes, that’s not going to impose any security risk (and since he’s not specifying the the IP… I probably did overreact). Still, the fact that he’s specifically trying to have this running as root when it works as other users implies a reason. And is programming as root really that much more convenient than having to type “sudo” every once-in-a-while to restart apache or install gems? ---
**Author:** ![pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/76d3ee/32.png) [@pbhandar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pbhandar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cant-start-webrick-as-the-root-user/168655/6 "2009-05-27T18:44:48Z")
Thanks for everyone’s response. The application was starting but not finding the right directory after the login as a non-root user which I mistakenly thought was due to port conflict. All I had to do was look at the strace output more closely. Now with the right directory, it works without any issues. I was barking up the wrong tree - and and am really appreciative for folks who responded quickly. As far as the root user vs non-root user discussion, the application does need to be started as a non-root user since I don’t want to have support groups needing root password. This piece of puzzle was for init.d configuration so that the root user kicked off the daemon after a server bounce. Thanks. Prakash Brian C. wrote: > Pra B. wrote: > > > The log file shows the following - > > > > [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO WEBrick 1.3.1 > > [2009-05-22 04:46:37] INFO ruby 1.8.7 (2009-04-08) [x86\_64-linux] > > [2009-05-22 04t:46:47] WARN TCPServer Error: Address already in use - > > bind(2) > > [2009-05-22 04:46:47] INFO WEBrick::HTTPServer#start: pid=30733 > > port=8192 > > This is a WEBrick bug (which I reported separately a long time ago). It > has successfully bound to port 8192, as the final line confirms. The > bind error log message is spurious.